This invention relates to a coffeemaker and particularly relates to a coffeemaker having facility for brewing coffee and dispensing the brewed coffee directly into a carafe.
Some coffeemakers include a water reservoir, a brew basket with a filter, a holder for containing the brew basket and the filter, a water heating system, a conduit system for feeding heated water to the brew basket, and a facility for dispensing brewed coffee from the brew basket to a coffee pot or carafe.
Typically, the holder must be withdrawn in some fashion to facilitate the deposit of ground coffee, for example, into the filter in preparation for a coffee-brewing procedure. The holder is then returned to its coffee-brewing position in the coffeemaker. In the coffee-brewing position, the holder, brew basket and filter must be retained in a specific location within the coffeemaker during the coffee-brewing process.
Some coffeemakers include facility for attaching the holder to adjacent portions of the coffeemaker to effect the retention of the holder, basket and filter in its proper location. However, in some instances, the attaching facility is difficult to access or operate.
Therefore, there is a need for a latching unit which is user friendly and which firmly secures the holder, with the basket and filter, in place for the coffee-brewing process.
In the operation of coffeemakers, it is critically important that all elements of the coffeemaker, including the carafe, be in place prior to initiation of the brewing process. To insure that the carafe is in place, a carafe-sensing facility is used which prohibits the operation of the coffeemaker in the event that the carafe is not in place.
During the brewing process, the brewed coffee is dispensed from the brew basket through an outlet and into the carafe. To insure that brewed coffee is not dispensed when the carafe has been removed from the coffeemaker, a shut-off facility is often employed.
Typically, the sensing facility and the shut-off facility are structured such that considerable space is required for the two facilities within the coffeemaker.
Consequently, there is a need for a combined facility which operates in a timely fashion, and efficiently, to effect the sensing and the shut-off operations, while requiring a relatively small amount of space within the coffeemaker.
During the period when the beverage-containing carafe is being removed from the coffeemaker, and for an instant thereafter, a few drops of brewed coffee may be released at the outlet of the brew basket. In some coffeemakers, a drip collector is provided for this purpose. Again, such a device requires space within the coffeemaker, thereby resulting in a relatively larger coffeemaker.
Thus, there is a need for a coffeemaker which includes a drip collector requiring limited space for the efficient collection of a small amount of brewed coffee which may be released from the outlet of the brew basket as the outlet is being sealed.